The Flower That Failed To Wilt
by Chiheeriobrand
Summary: The world Hiyoko Saionji came from was full of terrible people. Nobody could be trusted, and cooperation didn't exist. The 'Island of Mutual Killing' is just another iteration of the harsh reality Hiyoko lived in. However, even she couldn't have prepared for the events that would come, and the changes she would undergo. /AU in which Saionji survives along with Hajime & Co./


**No. 1**

4 students dead, and 12 remaining, with one in recovery, and the other in serious critical condition. Among the deceased; her best friend Mahiru Koizumi. Among the living? Her goddamn killer, that's who. Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, a bastard through and threw; at least, that's what Saionji thought of him. Although, it's not like her opinions of all the other students were something of high regard. Ever since they were imprisoned on this island, she grew to vastly disliked a majority of them, aside from her tolerance of Hinata and Nanami. They were the only ones who actually did shit when it came to trials. Akane would bumble around like an idiot, Souda would be shouting out bullshit theories, Komaeda's goal entirely was to screw with everyone, calling it 'hope', and Tsumiki, that bitch, would be crying her eyes out like always. However, when it came to Kuzuryuu and Tsumiki, she couldn't decide who she hated more. On one hand, you have the washed up midget who begs for undeserved redemption, and on the other, you have a walking pity party who also begged for undeserved attention. What's even more excruciatingly annoying, is that everyone else seemed to actually _like_ them, and _sympathize_ with them. Yeah, a fucking killer. That's who we should really be sympathizing with. But oh no, when she herself starts speaking _truth_ about Tsumiki, everyone thinks _she's_ the bad guy, calling it 'bullying'. These idiots have no idea what the definition of bullying _is_. The hell Saionji went through in her childhood? People trying to literally kill her, constantly? The small blonde was destined to be 'bullied' from the day she was born. So honestly, everyone can go fuck themselves if they think she's some horrible being for what she's said. It's part of life, supposedly. No one likes to hear the fucking truth.

It was shortly after the incident with Nekomaru and Akane that everyone had really begun to let reality sink in. In truth, it was no different than the world she came from before this island; Nobody could be trusted. Working together was a foolish notion, as in the end, it was every man and woman for themselves. The accident with Nekomaru was proof enough of that. To _think_ that she'd actually begun to have faith in that maybe, just maybe, forgiveness and cooperation would actually work. _Bullshit_. Forgive? Forgive who? The one responsible for Koizumi's death? Honestly...she must've been out of her mind...just look where it got her. Crying again. Crying over someone that would've probably survived if he hadn't been so headstrong about saving a 'friend'. Now it's uncertain whether the man even has a chance at making it through the night.

Fools, the goddamn lot of them.

She'd actually been having a rather pleasant dream the night after Nekomaru's 'hospitalization'; one with her and Mahiru holding hands as they took a pleasant stroll on the beach. It was cut painfully short, however, when that wretched voice blared through the intercom.

"Good Morning Everyone! Let's Get Ready For Another BEAAUUUUTTTIFUULL DAAAY!"

The small blonde nearly screamed into her pillow out of the frustration of being, once again, greeted by that damn bear. However, she stopped herself, though she hadn't a clue why. Nobody was around, so there was no real reason she needed to keep her cold composure like usual. She'd been sure plenty of other students had breakdowns in their own rooms occasionally, if not obscenely often. She couldn't blame them, even as much as she loathed the majority of the students. The situation was shitty. Monokuma and Monomi were shitty. Everything was shitty.

Getting up to go to breakfast every morning was a hassle, but she needed to eat. If that meant seeing everyone's ugly faces, it was a price she'd have to pay. To her surprise, she was one of the first ones there. Although, the people who'd already arrived were a rather...odd combination. Ibuki was standing near one of the wooden pillars that kept the roof up, seemingly smiling and talking to herself. Now, Ibuki was probably one of the most obnoxious and weird people on the island, but this was a stretch even for her. Next to her was Akane, who was...crying? Yeah...there was no doubt that she was crying. _Violently_ too. Normally, this would be just as strange as Ibuki's action at the moment, but, she figured that perhaps the impact of Nekomaru's near death experience was finally taking its toll on the tall brunette. She almost felt sorry for her, but in reality, it was her fault Nekomaru had to be operated on in the first place. The girl pulled an idiotic stunt, and paid the price for it. Simple as that. There was absolutely _no_ reason to feel sympathy for her. Saionji quickly shifted her attention toward the third and final person who stood in the cafeteria; none other than Nagito Komaeda. He was just standing there... _staring at her?_ This fucking creep...the girl could usually read people pretty well, but with this one, she never knew what to expect. No one could, really. After all, this guy was pretty much responsible for kicking off the mutual killings in the first place. Above everyone else, _he_ was the one to be cautious around. Still, this whole staring matter needed to be addressed. She wasn't going to grab her breakfast being watched the whole time.

"What do _you_ want you weirdo? Quit staring at me with your bland, unattractive face. I'm seconds from hurling." She spat harshly, expecting some kind of deluded response. But nothing. Only a twisted, eerie smile. Seconds past until he finally uttered something.

"Ah! Good morning, Saionji-san. Please forgive my rudeness, I'm just surprised you're here instead of with Koizumi. I saw her near the movie theater this morning!"

For a moment, her heart skipped a beat. She heard him correctly, didn't she? _Koizumi._ Images of her short red hair, those adorable freckles that decorated her face, and the way she treated Saionji with such kindness poured into her mind...however, those same images were quickly and unforgivingly burned to a crisp upon her realization that Komaeda's words, to no surprise, were a load of bullshit. How _dare_ he. How dare he even have the _audacity_ to speak her name in front of her like that. Tears started to stream down her small, round cheeks as her face flushed a blazing red.

"How-...H-How _dare you_...take that back. _Take it back right now, or else_ -"

Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of another's footsteps resonated on the wooden floor. She whipped her head to the side to get a glance at who it was. Hinata, another usual early bird, was trying to talk to Akane. He must've moved fast, possibly on the grounds he heard sobbing. It was only a few more seconds until he realized conversation with the brunette was futile, proceeding to move onto Ibuki, and then finally, Komaeda. The smaller of the 3 spat harsh words about Komaeda to Hinata, now disgusted to even be standing in the pale boy's general area. The rest of the students slowly but surely poured into the cafeteria, soon realizing the curiosity of their predicament. The bear had shown up and blabbed about this 'despair fever' and how it was highly contagious. Of course, the only way to stop the disease was to kill another classmate. Events proceeded, and, partially due to her blunt suggestion, the group decided to quarantine the ones who had the disease, as well as those who touched the infected. It was decided that Tsumiki was to be in charge of treating them, with Hinata and Kuzuryuu helping out. It was also decided that those who hadn't been overly exposed to the disease would enclose themselves in the nearby motel, as to not catch the heinous virus. Souda, proving to be surprisingly useful, even constructed some sort of communication device. Machines weren't her strong point, so the girl didn't bother paying that much attention to it. All she knew was that she was keeping as much possible distance away from the others that she could, including the uninfected. They had means of communication. They were keeping their distance. Everything was going to be fine, as long as those conditions stayed as they were. She had no need whatsoever to come out of her own motel room. Whatever happened on the other side wasn't her business.

That mentality, however...would only last her so long. On only the second night at the motel, she ran into trouble tying her kimono back up after showering. Desperately...she desperately wanted Koizumi to come and help...but she knew that would never happen again. Time and time again she failed to secure the knot, screeching and kicking the bed in frustration. It wasn't like she was going to emerge from the room anytime soon. But...still...when the time did come, she couldn't very well walk out with her kimono awkwardly tangled around her. The small blonde leapt onto the bed, beginning to sob violently into her pillow. She didn't care about the pungent odor that seeped from the old bed anymore...she was going to cry herself to sleep. Did she...let Koizumi down? All that practice she received...had it gone to waste...? No...she wouldn't let that happen. Tomorrow, when everybody leaves for the morning call to the hospital, she'll slip out...Sonia had mentioned something about a mirror in the music venue...she'll use that. There wasn't a chance of her letting Koizumi's lesson go to waste.

The next morning silently trudged it's way into the island skies...bringing with it something not even Hiyoko had expected. She should've been used to it by now. People acting out of their own self interest was something she grew up with. The countless assassination attempts, all the behind-the-scenes shit that went on right in front of her...it was all remnant of the world she'd left behind. There was just no escape from it, was there? Shortly after the morning announcement woke her, that notorious, twisted sound sound off.

" _Bing bong bong bing! A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the class trial will begin!"_

The dancer's heart stopped dead in its tracks.

Who?

How?

Why?

So many questions that, inevitably, would be answered. They were always answered, cruelly, and bluntly...sooner or later. Trials were brutal. The last one broke her from the inside out. To handle another one...it was asking too much, too soon. At some point...she'd accepted that this was how life would always be for her. Grasping at the last remaining straws of her dignity, she slowly wrapped a blanket around her, stepping out into the cold, despair filled future that awaited her.

 **A/N** ; Hopefully this will be one of the only author's notes I'll be writing, as I hate derailing the story. Firstly, any comments and critique are appreciated! Second, I want to state that the dialogue of Saionji is not reflective of my own. She is a very vulgar and mean character, which is part of the reason I like writing her so much, but please try not to take offense to her own words, as again, they do not reflect my own. Other than that, I hope to create a somewhat enjoyable read. Updates to come!


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